THE GRASS TRIBE. ^57 



bristle, called the beard, or awn (arista) ; the beard 

 is in reality the midrib of the palea, partially sepa- 

 rated and lengthened out. The inner palea (i.) 

 originates from above and within the base of the 

 outer, is much smaller and more membranous, has 

 its edges abruptly doubled inwards, and bears a row 

 of stiff bristles on the angles (<:/.) formed by the 

 doubling. These two are the lower or outer, and 

 upper or inner paleae. 



Next the palese come, on the side of the outer 

 palea, two exceedingly small scales {fig. 5. a. a.), 

 which are much shorter than the ovary ; they are 

 called HYPOGYNOus SCALES, and are supposed to be 

 the rudiments of a calyx or corolla. 



From the base of the ovary arise three stamens 

 (fig. 4.), whose filaments are white, and so weak and 

 slender, that the loner narrow anthers hanof in a state 

 of oscillation, in consequence of the inability of the 

 filaments to support them. 



The ovary is a wedge-shaped body, apparently con- 

 sisting of nothing but pulp, and crowned by a tuft of 

 long hairs (fig. 5.) ; two styles, bearing singular brush- 

 like stigmas, spring from its summit. 



In this instance you have all the parts that are 

 usually present in Grasses ; and you cannot avoid 

 remarking how widely different the whole organiza- 

 tion is from any thing you have witnessed in other 

 plants. The structure of the fruit is not less pe- 

 culiar. 



I have said that the ovary seems as if it were com- 

 posed of nothing but pulp ; it docs, however, consist 



s 



